Reefing and furling fore-and-aft sails



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet -1.

T OBRIEN.

KEEPING AND FUELING FORE AND AFT-SAILS. No. 287,707. Patented Oct. 30, 1883.

(No Mode1.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

' T. QBRIEN. KEEPING- AND FUELING FORE AND AFT SAILS- N0., 287,707.

00 a 00 im 0 3 2 E 0 v w 1 m nu 45 e hoops b, to encompass the top-mast and keep UNITED STAT S PAT NT" OFFICE.

THOMAS OBRIEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REEFING AND FURLl NG FORE-AND-AFT S AILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,707, dated October C0, 1883.

Application filed July 17, 1883. (1% model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that. I, THoMAsOBRIEN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, of the vCommonwealth of Massachusets,-have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reefing and Furling Fore-and-Aft Sails; and I do hereby 1 declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figures 1 and 2 are opposite side elevations of a vessels mast, top-mast, boom, gaff, and mainsail, and the two auxiliary or gaff-topsails, constituting my invention.

Instead. of having above the gaff a single gaff-topsail, as usual, I have, in carrying out my said invention, two of such top-sails, they being arranged and applied as represented in the said drawings, such enabling me to use a shorter mast and also a mainsail of less size, comparatively speaking, than are usually required when but afsingle gaff-topsail is employed. The lower gaff-topsail and the mainsail together have in them the sameor about the same number of square yards of cloth or canvas as would be necessary for a mainsail for use with but one gaff-topsail containing about the same number of square yards of canvas as there would be in the upper .of the two gaff-topsails appertaining to my improvement.

My inventionhot only enables the sails to be handled or set and taken in and furled with less laboror number of hands or men, but is advantageous in other respects.

In the drawings, A denotes the mast; B, the topmast; C, the boom; D, the gaff; E and F, the two gaff-topsails, and G the cross-tree.

The lowergaff-topsail, E, is in shape like an inverted isosceles triangle,whi1e the upper gaff-topsail is in form like an obtuse angled triangle, one being directly over the other,- and both being arranged above the gaff in manner as represented. The said two gafftopsails at their next adjacent fore corners are secured to an eyebolt, a, projecting from the top-mast, and they are providedwith them in further connection therewith.

Each top-sail at its outer corner next the gaff is provided with a sheet? or haulingout rope. These ropes are shown at c and d.

They lead through guides e and f, projecting from the gaff at its toe and heel, and thence downward to the deck. There is also'to each the cross-tree.

of such top sails a clew-line,one of such clewlines being shown at g and the other at h. The

clew-line 9, attached to the lower corner of the lower gaff-topsail, passes from thence along the lower edge of such top-sail to the outer corner, and along the upper edge to-the upper corner and to the deck, passing through eyes fat the outer edge of the sail and eye 2' at the outer corner, and through a block, .k, depending from the eyebolt a, and thence through as the lineextending all around such top-sail draws in all parts closely. A down-haul or rope, l, attached to the lowermost corner of This arrangement of the clewline 9 enables the top-sail E to be closely furled,

the lower top-sail, extends to the deck. The

sheet, clew-line, and down-haul of the lower top-sail serveto set and take in or clew the said sail. Attached to the peak or uppermost corner of the upper gaff-topsail is a halyard or rope, m, which, after going through a block, a. near the head of the top-mast, descends to the deck. This rope m is for raising the sail. The clew-line h, fastened to the lower fore corner of the upper gaff-topsail or to the eyebolt (1, is led from thence through eyes 0, at-

' taehed to the sail at its two outer edges, and,

thence through the said eyebolt to the'deck. By means of the said ropes c, d, g, h, Z, and m,

the top-sails can be set or taken in andclewed or furled, as occasion may require.

The above-described rig is very useful for large schooners and various other vessels.

1. The gaff-topsail E, having the clew-line g, which passes completely around the outer edge of such top-sail, and is led through suitable blocks to the deck, as set forth.

2. The gaff-topsails E and F, in combination with the'outhauls c d, secured to the outer corner of such top-sails and passing along the gaff to the deck, the. clew-lines h and g, secured at thelower fore corner of the top-sails, and

passing completely around the same to the deck, the down-haul Z, secured to the top-sail E, and running to the deck, and thehalyard m, secured to the top-sail F, and running to the deck, as set forth.

THOMAS OBRIEN.

Witnesses:

B. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT. 

